A New Challenge to Minimize Factory CO2 Emissions for a Low Carbon Society

Road map to “Minimizing CO2 emissions”

Our plan for achieving the very lowest CO2 emissions from our factories has two stages. In the first stage, we will review the use of energy sources including electricity, gas, heavy oil, air and steam in our existing facilities, and work toward zero energy loss. We will further move toward minimizing the amount of energy needed by upgrading to more efficient equipment and developing and introducing innovative production technologies. In the second stage, we will switch to renewable energy or hydrogen sources that do not emit CO2.

To achieve this plan we have re-examined our utility and production equipment from an energy-saving perspective, and in 2016 formed an in-house energy service company (ESCO), an expert team to make improvements. We will enhance and expand this in-house ESCO over the coming years to play a greater role in minimizing our CO2 emissions.

■Energy loss (image)

■Minimizing energy

Activities to thoroughly reduce energy usage

In addition to our efforts so far to save energy, which have mainly been daily kaizen and switching to high-efficiency equipment and machinery in manufacturing divisions, our new in-house ESCO intensifies energy-saving activities with coordinated action between the Environment and Manufacturing Divisions. We uncover targets for energy savings with genchi-genbutsu from the six perspectives of ceasing, turning off, repairing, avoiding, picking up and changing to reduce CO2 emission volumes.

We are also making improvements by reviewing our entire chain of energy usage from supply to point of use, with information and proposals from sources including kaizen examples in the Toyota Group, energy supply companies, and equipment manufacturers.

In the coming years we will spread these activities to our overseas operations to reduce CO2 emissions across the entire Toyoda Gosei Group.

■In-house ESCO activities

■2016 Activities

In fiscal 2016 we began in-house ESCO actitivies at our Heiwacho Plant. We surveyed the current conditions for the entire plant, utilities equipment and production equipment. Then, based on the findings, we conducted analyses and studied measures for improvement.

TG Voices

Energy is essential for manufacturing, but loss occurs depending on the way that energy is supplied and used. Through these activities we are minimizing that loss to contribute to reducing the company’s environmental impact and improving its profitability.

Yohei SamuraEnvironment Division

We searched every corner of the shop floor for any possible source of energy loss. Minimizing that loss and protecting the earth’s environment is to the company’s benefit, and from here on we intend to conduct in-house ESCO activities throughout the company.

Katsuhide MiyakeEnvironment Division

Message from executive in charge

In-house ESCO activities for sustainable growth

The Toyoda Gosei Group aims to grow sustainably together with society while making our operations environmentally friendly. The only way to do that is to greatly reduce the CO2 emissions, water usage, and waste volume in our business activities. The “in-house ESCO” started in fiscal 2016 is working for significant reductions in these volumes. For these efforts to succeed, however, we will need all employees to join together and do everything they can to resolve each issue. In-house ESCO is an energy-centric activity in which persistent efforts will build on each other and lead to significant results. In the future we intend to spread these activities to reduce water usage and waste volumes to the entire Toyoda Gosei Group.